Three provocative books by local authors are encouraging Vancouverites to see their city through someone else's eyes

The prize honours local writers of any genre who “contribute to the appreciation and understanding of Vancouver’s history, unique character, or the achievements of its residents”.

Selected by an independent jury that includes Shirley Lew, secretary of the Vancouver Writers Festival board of directors, and Mary Schendlinger, cofounder of Geist magazine, this year’s finalists are:

Lorimer Shenher, author of That Lonely Section of Hell(Greystone Books), a thrilling memoir written from the eyes of a “recovering” cop, which Straight editor Charlie Smith argued in March was well-deserving of its nomination for a B.C. Book Prize; and

The city notes that each of this year’s nominated books offers a “complicated vision of a city coming to terms with its past and a desire to better itself”.

The winner of the 2016 City of Vancouver Book Award will be revealed at the Mayor’s Arts Awards ceremony at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews) on October 3. The prize carries a $3,000 award with it.

Last year’s City of Vancouver Book Award was presented to Compton for his acclaimed story collection The Outer Harbour.